The present invention relates to a tape cassette having improved pad supporting mechanism.
A conventional tape cassette, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a pair of rotatable tape hubs 2 and 3 in a housing 1 divided into upper and lower halves, and containing a magnetic tape 4 wound and fixed to the hubs 2, 3 at both ends. Suitable means serve for guiding the magnetic tape 4 to a tape opening of the housing 1 through guide rollers 5 and 6.
In such tape cassette, a pad spring 7 is arranged at the back portion of the tape 4. Pads 8 on the pad spring 7 is provided with pads 8 press the tape 4 against a head surface with a predetermined pressure when the head is inserted.
Such a tape cassette, therefore, requires a separate pad spring which involves extra parts troublesome assembly and increased cost. Further, as understood from the illustration, the pad spring is short in the effective elastic portion, so that a spring constant becomes large and it becomes difficult to obtain a stable pad effect. To solve this problem, the pad spring itself must have a complicated configuration and the working of a spring is troublesome.